LA City Council OKs study to address odor complaints at Sunshine Canyon Landfill

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a report back on current complaints of odors emitting from the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar.

Council members voted 10-0 to instruct the Bureau of Sanitation, Sunshine Canyon Landfill Local Enforcement Agency and Republic Services, which oversee and regulate the facility, to outline the current conditions of the site and the steps taken to resolve the latest issues about operations. Additionally, the report is expected to include efforts to further improve operations at the landfill.

Council members Kevin de León, Imelda Padilla, Nithya Raman, Heather Hutt and Hugo Soto-Martinez were absent during the vote.

The action was prompted by a motion introduced by Councilman John Lee, who represents the 12th District and where the facility is located, and seconded by Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky.

RELATED: Sunshine Canyon Landfill operator ordered to control foul odors

Since 1958, the landfill — near Granada Hills and Sylmar — has provided waste disposal services to the city, receiving about 9,000 tons of waste per day.

Over the years, media reports have highlighted odor complaints filed by nearby businesses, homeowners and residents. In 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported on the complaints pouring in from the surrounding community and how the odors were growing bacteria caused by water intrusion from past storms.

Many of the complaints have described how the odors are impacting students and staff at the local elementary school, Van Gogh Charter School.

The county of Los Angeles has similarly taken steps to address ongoing concerns at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic. The landfill has been producing toxic chemicals and polluting the air, water and land on site and in neighboring communities.

In response, County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the 5th District, which includes the impacted area, has called for the operator to provide funds to assist residents who want to temporarily relocate until the odor issues are addressed. She had also requested the landfill operators to provide air filtration devices and to contribute more funds to the Utility Relief Program, which she initiated to help residents pay utility bills, and support a program that is intended to help homeowners make improvements related to the odors from the landfill.